Textile treating apparatus with a plastic coated or metal roll having left- and right-hand helical threads



March 26, 1968 MAGUIRE 3,374.648

TEXTILE TREATING APPARATUS WITH A PLAsTIc COATED OR METAL ROLL HAVING LEFT AND RIGHT-HAND HELICAL THREADS Filed Sept. 29, 1966 INVENTOR.

Arra/PA/zrs United States Patent 015 ice 3,374,648 Patented Mar. 26, 1968 3,374,648 TEXTILE TREATING APPARATUS WITH A PLASTIC COATED OR NIETAL ROLL HAV- ING LEFT- AND RIGHT-HAND HELICAL THREADS Leo Russell Maguire, Whitfield, Reading, Pa., assiguor to Crompton & Knowles Corporation, Worcester, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Filed Sept. 29, 1966, Ser. No. 582,987 Claims. (Cl. 68-180) This invention relates to a new type of a log or leveling roll used in conjunction with batching or take-up rolls on textile machines for wet processing a textile Web. The log roll flattens and prevents corrugation and ridges forming on fabric being batched.

Another aspect of the invention is concerned with apparatus for eliminating railroad tracking or streaking lengthwise of the web in wet textile treatments that involve passing a fabric web into a chemical bath and batching or rolling up the wet fabric as it emerges from the bath and specifically in connection with jig dyeing.

Many types of fabric are prone to corrugate or form ridges that run lengthwise of the web when they are batched in a wet condition. This is particularly true of lightweight fabrics. However, many fabrics when subjected to high warp tension during wet treatments will also tend to corrugate and ridge during roll up due to shrinkage. When a wet fabric carrying chemical treating solutions corrugates on the take up roll, the chemical solution will tend to concentrate in the valleys between the ridges and form tracks that run lengthwises of the web. Where the chemical is a dye, the tracks will be visible and appreciably detract from the aesthetic appearance of the fabric and are referred to as railroad tracks. Even when the tracked chemical is colorless, tracking is objectionable. The physical properties of fabric will be non-uniform across the face of the web from selvege to selvege. Thus, for example, many chemicals weaken the fabric and the strength losses in the tracked areas where the chemical has concentrated will be greater than in the adjacent areas having a lower concentration of the treating chemical.

In order to eliminate corrugation during roll up, it is customary to employ a smooth faced log roll that is coaxially aligned with the take up roll and rides (rotates) freely on the fabric accumulated on the take up roll. This arrangement serves to flatten the batched fabric and eliminates corrugation, but it creates other problems due to the fact that the log roll dams the liquor expressed from the fabric and forms a reservoir in vicinity of the nip entrance. The liquor in the reservoir extends across the web and spills over the ends of the rolled fabric thereby darkening the selveges. In addition, the log roll, which is a free riding roll, bounces during the roll up operation, and bouncing tends to open and close the nip and this causes the liquor in the reservoir to flow through the nip in a non-uniform manner and gives rise to blotchiness in the fabric. Further, the bouncing of the log roll is accentuated by increasing the web speed. Hence, it is usually necessary to operate the equipment at speeds well below the speed of optimum etliciency.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide apparatus (capable of operating at optimum efiiciency levels for the particular type of unit) for eliminating railroad tracking and blotchiness in wet processed textiles that are batched While carrying substantial quantities of treating liquids. Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the ensuing description.

In accordance with this invention, these objects are obtained by employing a novel log roll in combination with the take up roll on wet processing textile machines. The special log roll is characterized in that its surface in the body section that is to be in contact with and extend across the fabric web during roll up is provided with a grooved pattern formed by crossed helical screw threads, the left hand thread and the right hand thread having about the same pitch and both threads cover the full length of the body section.

The invention is further exemplified by the drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a schematic view of a dye jig.

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of a log roll made in accordance with this invention.

FIGURE 3 is an end view of the roll of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged view of the roll threading partly in section on line 4-4 of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged view of the roll threading partly in section on line 5-5 of FIGURE 3.

With reference to FIGURE 1, there is schematically illustrated a dye jig including a vat 10; take-up or batching rolls 11, 12-; guide rolls 13, 14, 15 and 16; log rolls 17, 18; and a fabric web 19 being batched on roll 11. In most dye ji-gs and similar wet processing textile machines, the log roll is usually positioned either at the top of the batching roll as shown by the roll arrangement 12, 18, or along a readily accessible side of the vat as shown by the roll arrangement 11, 17. The roll positioning is immaterial so long as the axis of the log roll is aligned parallel to the axis of the batching roll and can ride (rotate) freely on the fabric web portions that have already accumulated on the take up roll during the wind up. As previously noted, if the log roll has a smooth surface in contact with the web, it will dam the liquor carried by the web at the nip entrance 20 (i.e., along the line of contact between the log roll and the batched web roll).

Referring now to FIGURES 2-5, there is illustrated the novel and unique log roll of this invention. The roll 21 is provided with conventional bearings (not shown) that permit the roll to rotate on shaft 22. The ends of the shaft ride freely in guide tracks that extend radially relative to the take up roll axis thereby permitting the log roll to move with and follow the web accumulation. The body section of the log roll (i.e., the full length of the roll that is to be in contact with the web) is provided with a grooved pattern that enables the roll to perform several important functions:

(1) It smoothes and flattens the fabric on the take up roll, (2) it centers the web and prevents worming (sidewise shifting) of the web during roll-up, and (3) it provides a by-pass that permits liquor carried by the fabric to flow uniformily through the nip 20 without forming a reservoir. In addition, these functions are effected without forming a linear track or linear repeating pattern running lengthwise of the web and be operative over the full range web speeds of the wet machine involved.

A preferred pattern in accordance with the invention is formed by cross threading the log roll body sections from end to end with threads of substantially the same pitch. As can be seen in FIGURE 2, there is a right hand thread 23 crossed by a left hand thread 25 and both threads run the full length of the body section.

Excellent results have been obtained on a dye jig by the use of a 5' log roll having a 3% OD. on which the helical threading was a V groove and ran 4 threads per inch. The crest to root depth was about 0.100". Such rolls were effective at web speeds of up to yards per minute (the maximum speed at which the jig could be operated) and the dyed fabric was free of railroad tracks and blotchiness. In addition, the use of the roll permitted faster dyeing than where a smooth face log roll was used or when attempts were made to chemically level the dyeings.

The roll should be made of materials that are resistant to the chemical environment to which it will be subjected and should have suflicient rigidity so that it will not deflect in use. Stainless steel rolls are. excellent and highly satisfactory results have been obtained by using patterned metal rolls that have been coated with chemically resistant plastics and especially non-stick flu0ro plastics such as tetrafiuoroethylene.

I- claim:

1. A log roll adapted for use in combination with a take up roll on wet processing textile machines characterized in that its surface in the body section that is to be in contact with and extend across a fabric web during roll-up is provided with a grooved pattern formed by a helical left handed thread and a helical right hand thread, both threads having about the same pitch and running from end to end of the body section.

2. In a textile machine for wet-processing a web of textile fabric having a fabric take-up roll and a log roll co-axially aligned with the take-up roll, the improvement which comprises a log roll according to claim l-positioned so that it bears against the fabric web accumulated on the take-up roll during the roll-up.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the textile I machine is a dye jig.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,176,835 10/1939 Cumfer 2912l 2,474,717 6/ 1949 Belcher -1 68-475 X 2,545,905 3/1951 Thomas 29-127 X 3,136,146 6/1964 Bailey 68-175 X FOREIGN PATENTS 1/ 1933 Germany. .3/ 1920 Great Britain.

WILLIAM 1. PRICE, Primary Examiner. 

1. A LOG ROLL ADAPTED FOR USE IN COMBINATION WITH A TAKE-UP ROLL ON WET PORCESSING TEXTILE MACHINES CHARACTERIZED IN THAT ITS SURFACE IN THE BODY SECTION THAT IS TO BE IN CONTACT WITH AND EXTEND A FABRIC WEB DURING ROLL-UP IS PROVIDED WITH A GROOVED PATTERN FORMED BY A HELICAL LEFT HANDED THREAD AND A HELICAL RIGHT HAND THREAD, BOTH THREADS HAVING ABOUT THE SAME PITCH AND RUNNING FROM END TO END OF THE BODY SECTION. 